Gillian Anderson Backs Dickens Statue
One of Charles Dickens‘ final wishes was to not have a statue erected of him, but it appears that his wish will be ignored when all is said and done.
X-Files star Gillian Anderson, who has appeared in adaptations of Great Expectations and Bleak House, has joined the Dickens Fellowship – a non-profit organization dedicated to celebrating the great author’s works. She is now backing a fund to erect the first statue of Charles Dickens in England, located in his hometown of Portsmouth.
“I was surprised that there was not a Dickens statue anywhere in Great Britain,” she tells the BBC. “He was born in Portsmouth… The idea that a potential statue here would draw attention to (the issues raised in his work)… and expand people’s knowledge of and interest in Dickens and his writing… The idea (is) that a statue would bring attention to where that is still an issue today and start conversations about it.”
The statue is set to be unveiled in Guildhall Square on June 9th, 2013, which is the 133rd anniversary of his death.